Bioacoustic sensors that pick up bioacoustic signals of body sounds (e.g., heart sounds, and/or the like) are used widely. Bioacoustic processing apparatuses that process acoustic signals of bioacoustic sensors (hereinafter referred to simply as “acoustic signals”), such as when analytically processing body sounds, and/or the like, have been known.
However, acoustic signals may become contaminated with various noise components. When contaminated with noise components, analytical accuracy with respect to body sounds drops.
In view of the above, Patent Literature 1, for example, discloses a technique that reduces noise components that occur just as contact is made with a body surface, such as skin, and/or the like. With the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a switch is provided on the surface of a bioacoustic sensor that contacts a body surface, and acoustic signals are muted just as the contact surface makes contact with the body surface.
Furthermore, Patent Literature 2, for example, discloses a technique that detects as noise components any sound component other than human breathing sounds. The technique disclosed in Patent Literature 2 compares acoustic signals between the immediately preceding breathing cycle and the breathing cycle that follows to determine an interval containing noise components resulting from coughing, sniffling, and/or the like, and excludes the data of that interval from the analysis.
The related art above are capable of mitigating drops in analytical accuracy for body sounds resulting from contamination by noise components.